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Post by samspade on Nov 27, 2023 15:49:10 GMT -5
Ever have an experience with a shop that sells a guitar and values it highly, until you want to sell or trade? Similar to car sales, but once a shop does this, I will NEVER deal with them. Guitar Center was one, and have never dealt with them again, but with Musician's Friend which is really the same thing  I guess my point is a dealer has to be consistent with the brands they sell and the brands they're willing to rebuy/deal with. |
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Post by Leftee on Nov 27, 2023 17:00:56 GMT -5
That’s a pretty typical situation. More the norm, I think.
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Post by samspade on Nov 27, 2023 17:29:57 GMT -5
That’s a pretty typical situation. More the norm, I think. Was just looking for some consistency on what they say is great per a vs what they say is great used. Like no desire to deal with a used d |
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Post by samspade on Nov 27, 2023 17:33:19 GMT -5
I agree, except for the fact that they only believe in the brand when they're new. Does that make sense? Edited to add, they do consider used items. |
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DrKev
Wholenote
It's just a guitar, it's not rocket science.
Posts: 418
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Post by DrKev on Nov 28, 2023 2:55:15 GMT -5
Oh, I don't really agree. Some guitars that sell great when new but are slow movers when used. Remember, each space on a wall in a guitar store is a potential revenue stream or revenue block. Nobody wants a guitar hanging on the wall for ever taking up space on the wall that multiple faster selling models could pass through instead. And if used instruments were great money makers we'd see a buttload more used guitar stores in the world, but we don't.
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Post by Leftee on Nov 28, 2023 7:19:42 GMT -5
I don’t think it’s an indictment of the brand or the store. Selling a used guitar to a store carries the expectation (by the retailer) that they have to turn it for a profit. They really need a good margin on used items to make it a viable part of their business.
And they take trades or buy back instruments to facilitate their primary interest - that being the sales of new instruments. If they can help you raise cash for a new guitar (from them) then the used market is something they play in. And with that in mind, their used business *has* to be profitable.
Ultimately you’re selling back to an intermediary who has to sell it on to the end-user. Cutting the middle-man out is a far better choice.
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Post by reverendrob on Nov 28, 2023 9:37:10 GMT -5
The truth of the matter is that to survive in retail, where you're fronting all the money (unlike a new purchase from a manufacturer with whom may have a net 30 or net 90 or whatever invoice) - you're taking all the risk. If it's stolen, you're screwed. if there's something you don't see in the used instrument that's wrong, you're screwed. If it doesn't move, you're screwed.
Keep in mind let's say that $1000 guitar sells used for $700 or so at retail.
They're going to offer you NO MORE than a third of that $700. That's genuinely just how it is.
Same thing applies for used guns or used anything honestly.
I gave my BEST customers 40-50% sometimes, knowing they'd spent a fortune with me and would continue to do so - and so the risks were minimized.
But nobody's going to give you "what it's worth" when they have risk, overhead, and a need for profit.
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009
Wholenote
Take me to your leader!
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Post by 009 on Nov 28, 2023 10:20:13 GMT -5
The truth of the matter is that to survive in retail, where you're fronting all the money (unlike a new purchase from a manufacturer with whom may have a net 30 or net 90 or whatever invoice) - you're taking all the risk. If it's stolen, you're screwed. if there's something you don't see in the used instrument that's wrong, you're screwed. If it doesn't move, you're screwed. Keep in mind let's say that $1000 guitar sells used for $700 or so at retail. They're going to offer you NO MORE than a third of that $700. That's genuinely just how it is. Same thing applies for used guns or used anything honestly. I gave my BEST customers 40-50% sometimes, knowing they'd spent a fortune with me and would continue to do so - and so the risks were minimized. But nobody's going to give you "what it's worth" when they have risk, overhead, and a need for profit. Thanks for that explanation; it's really enlightening. I'm gearing up to sell most of my guitars, on Craigslist: bought a cheap Tracfone (actually, the Nokia C110 is pretty good), got a new phone number and gmail account with a fake name... I don't want to hear from anyone after a sale or have guys chasing me down if I tell them to get lost. The only other option I have is the Guitar Center route, but it's like you describe (low ball offers); I wish they sold on consignment. But that low-ball option will make me feel "better" about letting my stuff go at relatively low prices -- lower than someone selling/holding out at inflated "sentimental" prices and higher than what GC offers, i.e., priced to move. I just have to get rid of most of my stuff; it's become a burden now (vs. the treasure trove it use to feel like). Gettin' old.... Is having your current #1 guitar a 1/2 scale classical a sign of creeping dementia...? |
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Post by reverendrob on Nov 28, 2023 11:37:43 GMT -5
It's a case of you don't have to take the lowballs, just wait it out if you don't NEED the cash.
But you're not going to get retail prices either - because like a shop buying from you, a person is taking all the risk.
If they buy a stolen item, etc....they're the ones who eat the $$$ etc.
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Post by Vibroluxer on Nov 28, 2023 12:05:18 GMT -5
We have a little mom n pop in town and one day I walked in asking if the consign guitars and the reply was "No, but we buy them."
Go figure.
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Post by reverendrob on Nov 28, 2023 13:01:24 GMT -5
We have a little mom n pop in town and one day I walked in asking if the consign guitars and the reply was "No, but we buy them." Go figure. Individual shops set policy - I can see not doing it simply because consigns take up space too and have some liability attached. |
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Post by funkykikuchiyo on Nov 29, 2023 11:02:09 GMT -5
When Pawn Stars was worth watching, these scenes were always my favorite, because an appraiser would say something is worth, say, $1k, and the person selling would want $1k. The store people would have to explain it may take years to sell that item, they take all the risk, they need to make money to keep the lights on, and so on. And there is always the "someone online is asking $1k!", "well, are they ASKING for that, or are they SELLING it for that?"
Guitar marketing has been going on a planned obsolescence/shiny new object thing for a while now. They hype something up, it sells like crazy, people get over it, the market floods with the used models. PRS SE Silver Sky guitars could barely stay in stock for a while, now you have to discount them heavily to get rid of them.
Used market is weird now, too. A lot of it has to go online, and a lot of customers are WAY too picky about condition and will return things. Then, Reverb takes their cut. There used to be decent money in it, but all of that stuff nibbles away at it.
It is also more labor intensive. You need a guy handy who can do setups, change pots, do all sorts of things to get instruments out the door. It used to be that even a basic sales staff could do this stuff, but there are fewer and fewer people who can do it well. Plus, there are more companies coming up with weird stuff that might have parts that are hard to track down. Very few guitar companies are supporting legacy instruments for hardware, electronics, and so on. You used to be able to do almost anything with an AllParts dealership, not so much now. And, the aforementioned picky customers means you can't just hang a fixer-upper or something that needs a spit shine on the wall and let it sell to the right person.
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Post by funkykikuchiyo on Nov 29, 2023 11:16:14 GMT -5
We have a little mom n pop in town and one day I walked in asking if the consign guitars and the reply was "No, but we buy them." Go figure. Individual shops set policy - I can see not doing it simply because consigns take up space too and have some liability attached. Consignments are great if you're offering something that isn't in direct competition with what is being sold, or makes good wall-candy - maybe a high end archtop in a shop that usually only sells flattops and solid body electrics. But, the store is competing with itself. It needs to move inventory that is has either already paid for, or payments are coming up on a 90-day plan or something. If they have 15 American Strats they need to move, will probably have to discount them, they don't want people coming in and consigning their American Strats that would undercut their new ones.
Consignment percentages are often pretty low, too. If they buy outright, they have a good margin that will (hopefully) absorb related labor costs and let them discount it later if need be. So, it may be worth the risk if they already have 15 new ones to sell... but, they will probably refuse that as well, or offer an even lower price, which might be what happened to the OP.
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I guess my point is a dealer has to be consistent with the brands they sell and the brands they're willing to rebuy/deal with.
